Car attachment



('No Model.) 2 ShBQtfP-SIIGB-t 1.

0. K. SHERWOOD. I

GAB ATTACHMENT.

Patented Dec. 4, 189 4.

mo Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0. K. SHERWOOD. GARATTA'GHMEN'T. No 530,359. Patented Dec. 4, 1894.

(i UNITED STATES PATENT ems.

CHARLES K. SHERWOOD, on BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CAR ATWTACIH M EN T.

'SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 530,359, dated December 4,1894.

' Application filed August l8, 189 4. SerialNo. 520,698- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beitknown that I, CHARLES K. SHERWOOD, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to attachments for railingcars designed to relieve travelers from the great annoyance and discomforts caused by dust which is raised by the passage of the trains over the roadbed and in carrying out my invention I aim to provide collecting and conveying conduits extending longitudinally of the cars and depending from the sides thereof adapted to inclose the space below the cars and adapted also to form a practically closed conduit between the cars of the train so that the dust stirred up beneath the cars Will be collected by the conduits and conveyed by the forced draft existing therein to the rear of the train to be discharged.

My invention therefore consists broadly of aprons of suitable material depending from the bottom of the car at or near the side edges thereof to near the rails so as to inclose the space beneath the car completely, said aprons having on their inner sides a conduit or a series of conduits extending longitudinally thereof and through which a strong air current is forced by the movement of the train, said conduit or conduits acting not only as conveying means for the dust but as collecting means thereof also, having an opening extending longitudinally of it opening inward.

This being the general character of my invention other characteristics will be pointed out hereinafter in detail.

In the drawings, Figure 1. represents a side View of several connected cars having my attachment. Fig. 2. is an end elevation partly in transverse section, and Fig. 3. is a plan view.

In the drawings the cars are shown of the well known form.

My improved attachments are shown at A consisting of aprons depending from the bottom of the car near the side edges and outside of the trucks, wheels and rails so as to i completely inclose the space beneath the cars,

forming a closed chamber from which no dust can escape laterally. On the inner faces of these aprons I provide conduits B, B, extending lengthwise thereof and formed by either curling the material of the aprons inwardly and upwardly at their lower ends to form a cylindrical or tubular shaped conduit or by attaching curved pieces to the inner sides of the apron at different heights thereof the concave faces of some being uppermost while the concave face of others face downwardly; or the conveying means may be made up of a series of such chambers. In all cases however the chambers extend from end to end'of the car and are open longitudinally on their inner sides tocommunicate freely with the space beneath the car so that the draft created through the chambers from end to end of the car will suck the dust raised beneath the car into the chambers or conduit to be forced rearward and discharged at the end of the train.

The main aprons A extend from the steps at the end of the car to those at the other end and here the apron may be continued and the complete closure of the dust space beneath the car maintained by supplemental aprons G secured to the steps and depending therefrom, in line with the main sections and hav- 8o ing conduits or chambers thereon corresponding to those on the main sections.

The space between the steps may be covered with any suitable flexible material D which is buttoned or otherwise fastened to the ends of the step sections so that the movement of the cars in turning curves will be freely permitted while the continuity of the channels will be preserved.

The space between the platform may be covered as in the ordinary Pullman vestibuled trains bya mat or the like thus making the platform as well as the entire car free from dust.

It will be understood that I do not wish to 5 limit myself to the precise form of apron nor the manner of making the channels nor to the material used though sheet metalmay probably be found most suitable for the purpose.

The apron with its conduits can be made too that they may be easily moved to allow access to be had to the trucks and gear beneath the car for oiling, repairing and the like.

The whole apron may be removable or permanently fixed as found most desirable. At the right hand end of Fig. 1 I show the apron section as removably secured to the car by buttons passing through slots in the sections while on the central car A of the figure, the

sections are secured by hinging them to thecar.

In order to better create a draft through the channels or conduits a funnel arrangement may be employed at the front of the first car or of every car if desired so that the air will be caught and deflected into the channels of the aprons and thus carry the dust along with it. These funnels may be of any desired form or arrangement and as an example I have illustrated in the plan view inclined plates E diverging from a point centrally of the forward end of the car rearwa-rdly so that they incline outwardly to the sides and thus serve to catch and direct the air into the channels. These plates are arranged under the platforms forward of the trucks and depend far enough from the bottom of the platforms to create the desired draft. Each end of the car may be provided with them and they may be pivoted centrally of their length so that they may be adjusted to make the plates at both ends of the car diverge to the rear as shown in the plan view; The aprons will serve also to deaden or mufifle the noise of the wheels when the windows are open and will prevent persons from falling beneath the sides of the cars.

I claim as my invention- 1. In combination with the car the depending apron and the dust collecting and conveying conduit carried thereby, substantially as described.

2. In combination with the car, the depending apron and the dust collecting and conveying conduit carried thereby and com municating with the space beneath the car throughout its length.

3. In combination with the car, the depending apron and the dust collecting and conveying conduit carried thereby and the funnel at the front of the conduit, substantially as described.

4. In combination with the car the depending apron having the channel or conduit and the funnel consisting of the inclined plates depending from the car at the front end, sub stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES K. SHERWOOD.

VVitnessesz' LEWIS WALLACE, WILLIAM A. BAYARD. 

